Post by unlawflcombatnt on Sept 15, 2009 16:25:31 GMT -6
from the Kaiser Family Foundation
September 15, 2009
Family Health Premiums Reach $13,375 Annually in 2009
Up 5% as Inflation Fell Nearly 1%
Over 10 Years, Premiums Jumped 131%, More Than 3 Times Worker Wages And 4 Times General Inflation
"Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose to $13,375 annually for family coverage this year—with employees on average paying $3,515 and employers paying $9,860, according to the benchmark 2009 Employer Health Benefits Survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET).
Family premiums rose about 5% this year, which is much more than general inflation (which fell 0.7% during the same period, mostly due to falling energy prices). Workers wages went up 3.1% during the same period. Since 1999, premiums have gone up a total of 131%, far more rapidly than workers’ wages (up 38% since 1999) or inflation (up 28% since 1999)....
The survey found that 60% of firms offer health benefits to any of their workers this year. As in the past, the smaller the firm, the less likely it is to offer health benefits....
Among those firms offering benefits, 21% report they reduced the scope of health benefits or increased cost sharing due to the economic downturn, and 15% report they increased the worker’s share of the premium.
"When health care costs continue to rise so much faster than overall inflation in a bad recession, workers and employers really feel the pain. That’s why we are having a health reform debate," Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman, Ph.D., said....
The survey reveals that a growing number of workers who are covered by their employer are facing high deductibles in their plans in addition to contributing to the premiums for their coverage. In 2009, 22% of covered workers must pay at least $1,000 out of pocket annually for single coverage before their plan generally will start to pay a share of their health care bills, up from 18% last year and 10% in 2006....
Preferred Provider Organizations continue to dominate the employer market, enrolling 6 in 10 covered workers. Health Maintenance Organizations cover 20% of workers, with an additional 10% in Point-of-Service plans, and 8% in consumer-directed plans, which are high-deductible plans that also include a tax-preferred savings options such as a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)....
Other findings from the survey include:
Drug benefits. The vast majority of covered workers face a three- or four-tier system to determine their cost-sharing for drugs. For workers in such plans, the average copayments this year are $10 for first-tier drugs, $27 for second-tier drugs, and $46 for third-tier drugs. Copayments for fourth-tier drugs, which may include costly biological agents and lifestyle drugs, averaged $85.
Office visits. Among covered workers with a copayment for in-network physician office visits, the average copayment is $20 for primary care and $28 for specialty physicians—up slightly from the 2008 averages."
www.kff.org/insurance/ehbs091509nr.cfm
September 15, 2009
Family Health Premiums Reach $13,375 Annually in 2009
Up 5% as Inflation Fell Nearly 1%
Over 10 Years, Premiums Jumped 131%, More Than 3 Times Worker Wages And 4 Times General Inflation
"Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose to $13,375 annually for family coverage this year—with employees on average paying $3,515 and employers paying $9,860, according to the benchmark 2009 Employer Health Benefits Survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET).
Family premiums rose about 5% this year, which is much more than general inflation (which fell 0.7% during the same period, mostly due to falling energy prices). Workers wages went up 3.1% during the same period. Since 1999, premiums have gone up a total of 131%, far more rapidly than workers’ wages (up 38% since 1999) or inflation (up 28% since 1999)....
The survey found that 60% of firms offer health benefits to any of their workers this year. As in the past, the smaller the firm, the less likely it is to offer health benefits....
Among those firms offering benefits, 21% report they reduced the scope of health benefits or increased cost sharing due to the economic downturn, and 15% report they increased the worker’s share of the premium.
"When health care costs continue to rise so much faster than overall inflation in a bad recession, workers and employers really feel the pain. That’s why we are having a health reform debate," Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman, Ph.D., said....
The survey reveals that a growing number of workers who are covered by their employer are facing high deductibles in their plans in addition to contributing to the premiums for their coverage. In 2009, 22% of covered workers must pay at least $1,000 out of pocket annually for single coverage before their plan generally will start to pay a share of their health care bills, up from 18% last year and 10% in 2006....
Preferred Provider Organizations continue to dominate the employer market, enrolling 6 in 10 covered workers. Health Maintenance Organizations cover 20% of workers, with an additional 10% in Point-of-Service plans, and 8% in consumer-directed plans, which are high-deductible plans that also include a tax-preferred savings options such as a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)....
Other findings from the survey include:
Drug benefits. The vast majority of covered workers face a three- or four-tier system to determine their cost-sharing for drugs. For workers in such plans, the average copayments this year are $10 for first-tier drugs, $27 for second-tier drugs, and $46 for third-tier drugs. Copayments for fourth-tier drugs, which may include costly biological agents and lifestyle drugs, averaged $85.
Office visits. Among covered workers with a copayment for in-network physician office visits, the average copayment is $20 for primary care and $28 for specialty physicians—up slightly from the 2008 averages."
www.kff.org/insurance/ehbs091509nr.cfm